Power and Control
by Tales from a Teacup
Summary: TAKES PLACE AFTER THE AVENGERS! Her task was simple. Neora was supposed to assassinate Tony Stark shortly after he falls in love with her. But what she didn't plan, was to fall in love with him in return...
1. The Billionaire Target

It's a Monday night where everyone outside of the docks are worrying about getting some good nights rest, how quick will it take to get the kids ready on time, or even if they should skip the Pilates class this coming Wednesday just to indulge in some Cheesecake Factory with your high school girlfriends. Those thoughts are what's plaguing the mind of the women in the 21st century today. But not Neora, in fact, she doesn't really worry that much anymore. The only times she's worried it's only brought her closer to being a homosapien. But Neora isn't and will never be human... she is a mutant. And with being a mutant, it means that she is forever an outcast.

"I only trust this with you because of how your reputation precedes you" A man in a beige suit said to her, "Rumor is, you can get jobs done"

Neora waited in the darkness as a lackey came over to the woman and handed her a profile. She opened it and noticed a very familiar picture that she had to admit, took her by surprise. Anthony Stark was smiling back at her in one of his fancy suits with a classic bow tie on. He didn't seem harmless but even people who lived under a rock would recall the infamous battle that he was apart of. The Iron Knight is what people have been calling him these days, something that has made this man in front of Neora very upset.

"I will call you in three days when the job is done"

"No!" the man yelled out, making Neora stop from walking away.

"Isn't that what you called me for?" Neora questioned.

The man just gave a slight chuckle as he shifted his feet a little bit. Neora slowly crossed her arms over her chest as she waited impatiently for a response. Not to sound rude or anything but she had just come back from a job in England and hadn't slept for the past 36 hours. All she wanted to do was to lay back down in her comfortable bed and sleep but in order to do that, this man had to speak his damn mind.

"No, I want you to do much more than that. I want you to make him all in love with you, have him believe that you are his soul mate. Then I want you to rip his heart out, make him suffer before you kill him, and of course, the extra load will be paid to you over 75% of what your orignal price is" The man smiled, "Have you got a deal?"

Neora shifted her feet as she looked back down at the picture in her hand. She had to admit that this one was quite a looker and she could easily see how he had such a reputation with the ladies. She glanced back up at the man and smirked at him.

"Deal" she replied, "But how do I go about in introducing myself to him?"

"You have an appointment with him in the afternoon" the man informed her.

Neora nodded as she turned around and left down the alleyway to where she had just come from. She had a feeling that this job was going to be an interesting one.

Little did she know that this job was going to change her life forever.

* * *

><p>"Seriously?" Tony asked the next day.<p>

"I think this will be a good thing for you" Happy followed him over to the kitchen.

"I said to hire my a new CEO, not an assistant" Tony rolled his eyes.

"Maybe with Pepper leaving the business, it only means that you should stick around a little while longer" Happy pointed out.

"Especially how the Senator was on my ass about two years ago about my suit" Tony interfered, "Still can't believe he called me a prick"

"Trust me, she came highly recommended" Happy told him, "I think you'll really like her. Plus, she's not a bad looker"

"I see where this is going" Tony pointed to his friend, "You're trying to set me up with someone in also the process of making someone my assistant. Why are you doing this to me? After everything I've done for you"

"I just thought that maybe it's a good idea to stop calling Ms. Potts every five days" Happy let out.

"Why not?" Tony shrugged.

"Because she can now file a restraining order on you" Happy told him, "Maybe it's just time to still be preoccupied with something else. Take your mind off of Ms. Potts and work on your business"

"I'm working on my suits" Tony walked over to his couch, "That's what I've been doing this whole time after that alien invasion. I've been working on preparing if the pretty thunder God has a crazy sister who wants kill off human civilization again"

"I didn't mean it like that" Happy responded, "The world is very thankful for what you did in New York. I'm still grateful on how you placed a nuke up into space"

"Sir, a woman is at your door" JARVIS said from up above.

Tony sighed as he walked over to his armchair and sat down with a plop as Happy went over to introduce himself. He took another drink out of his shake as the bags under his eyes seem to feel increasingly noticable. No matter what happens though, the nightmares of the alien invasion still haunt his mind. Tony got up as the woman came over to him in high heels, a pencil skirt and a black blouse. He shook her hand and gave her a small smile as Happy positioned a chair to be right in front of him. She placed her folder onto his small table, making him look up at her as she sat down and waited for the interview to begin.

He had to admit that this woman had definitely done her homework as she knew that he didn't like to be handed things. He picked it up and started to skim over it as he realized that Happy was right. Tony glanced up to Happy who was watching from the kitchen. Tony decided to put on a show as he cleared his throat and started to cluck his tongue. He placed the folder down and looked at the woman, trying his best not to realize that she's good-looking.

She sat there completely still and poised as she waited for him to begin. But as she noticed that Mr. Stark was only just going to stare at her, she casually looked away and blushed as she placed a strand of hair behind her ear. Neora fumbled with her fingers as she tried her best to keep her composure and not give away that she was incredibly nervous around him. She then decided that enough was enough as she cleared her voice and looked back to Tony Stark.

"So how would you describe yourself?" Tony asked, "If I were to introduce you as my assistant then what would you hope that I said to my buddies about you"

Neora blinked up to the ceiling as she thought long and hard about that question. She wanted to impress him on the first day and she knew exactly how to get into this man's heart. But playing off as a little introvert didn't hurt as much either.

"I would hope you would say that I'm imaginative and a strategic thinker with a plan for everything" Neora responded.

Tony nodded in approval before he noticed that Happy was smiling in the background. He quickly cleared his throat and tried to summon up his inner dad.

He placed his elbow on the arm rest and continued to look at her as she squirmed under his gaze.

"Those are some interesting choice of words" Tony responded, "What are you trying to hide?"

Happy rolled his eyes as he knew where Tony was taking this. The poor girl didn't need this kind of treatment especially after all the trouble she's been through. He now felt sorry for accepting her offer a couple of days ago. If he knew any better, he would've ask JARVIS just to interview her. Happy straightened up and was about to walk over to the two sitting in front of one another but Tony lifted up his hand to stop him. The man stopped as he wished that he could have made this girl's life a little bit easier for her.

Neora smoothed out her skirt as she looked down to her nail polish as she pretended to be full of nerves. She knew that the card she was going to play was going to be a wild one but she had to let this out before this mission goes on any further. It could either make Tony send her far away as humanly possible, or fool him into thinking that she's confiding in him. Still, she glanced over to her glass of water as she wished to take a drink out of it. She had to downplay her performance in order to make this work.

"You truly are a genius, aren't you?" Neora let out, "There is something that I'm hiding that's not on my resume. I'm a mutant"

"You're hired"

Tony got up and walked back over to his kitchen in order to refill his smoothie, leaving the girl sitting there to take everything in. Sure enough, when he turned around, the woman was standing up and looking over to Tony in disbelief. She seemed at a total loss of words and so did Happy. He poured the thick liquid into his container as she slowly made her way over to the counter.

"What? I'm hired?" Neora asked, "But why? I'm a mutant. A freak"

"Rule number one" Tony stated, "Don't ever refer to you or any other mutant as a freak"

Neora quickly closed her mouth and nodded as she straightened up her shirt. Happy only smiled as he felt honored to be in this moment. Tony, was just acting like as if this was just any other casual talk that he would be having with Dr. Banner.

"Yes, sir" Neora nodded, "I never referred to my kind like that anyways"

"What kind of abilities do you have?" Tony asked.

Neora straightened up as her skin and hair turned a light green, catching both Tony and Happy by surprise. She then reached out, grabbed a knife, and slammed it into her chest, only for it to bent backwards.

She changed back into her regular skin as she walked over to the couch and lifted it up with one hand.

"And there's one more" Neora mentioned, "I can control the element of air"

Tony looked outside and gawked as he noticed that his Malibu home looked like it was in the middle of Kansas with a gushing rush of wind outside. He had never seen a mutant so extraordinary and have a vast amount of abilities. But just as Tony took a step closer to the glass, Neora stopped and turned it back to the warm weather that it was supposed to be. Not to sound a little bit too selfish, but he realized that he really needed this 'Neora' around to help him with his Iron Man suits. He turned around and nodded an approval as he walked past her. Tony didn't want to give it away too much that he was impressed with her on the first day, especially with Happy in the room with them.

"You start tomorrow" Tony called over his shoulder, "You may want to dress more comfortably for this kind of job"

Neora smiled to herself as Happy shook her hand in respect. Happy then waved her over to the door and explained how he will need her address in order to pick her up from here on out. Neora gushed as she couldn't believe at how fast Mr. Tony Stark had accepted her as an assistant. She had to admit that having the billionaire fall for her was a brilliant idea coming from her client. She was at least one stop closer to achieving her goal in making the Iron Knight head over heels for her.


	2. First Day

"Great!" Tony clapped his hands, "What's next on our agenda?"

"You have to address the public about the alien invasion at 4" Neora checked the iPad for the next date, "Then we will have to leave for Washington DC"

"Skip the public, will you, Neo?" Tony questioned, "I didn't bring my photographer glasses"

"But it's been four months now" Neora countered, "People want to hear from your side of the perspective on what truly happened. I hate to say it but no one else from your team isn't really coming up to break the silence. Don't you just want to get it over with? The people love you and Iron Man. If anything, the public will listen to you about the catastrophe. Believe it or not but I've been wondering myself as of late. You gave your public the hero it needs, now don't you just want to help them sleep better at night?"

"You don't even know half of it" Tony said in a dark voice, "I have trouble sleeping at night mostly because I relive everything that's happened that day. You think the civilians were conflicted by the experience? I've been traumatized by the whole thing and could only wonder what would happen if I failed that day"

"I'm sorry... I'll cancel the press" Neora said in a quiet voice.

"Really? You would do that for me?" Tony said in a light, almost girl voice.

Neora only smirked as she took out her iPhone and called up the main line as she turned around and walked over to the glass wall. As she talked, Tony couldn't help but skim his eyes over her body as she leaned on one side to make her butt look bigger. Tony suddenly cleared his throat and walked over to his little bar. He had made a oathe not to sleep with any of his assistants. He actually thought he had a lid on it when he continued to have promiscuous sex with reporters, scientists, and the occasion agents. But Tony felt like he's met his match with this one.

"All cancelled" Neora spoke up.

"Perfect!" Tony shouted a little bit too loudly.

Neora sighed as she walked over and sat down on the couch, "I honestly don't know how you do it. Always being on your feet, talking to tons of consultants, and don't even get me started on the conference meetings. All of this seems so crazy that half the time, I don't even think that you men are speaking English. I feel like I should've gotten myself a translator long before even thinking about taking up this job"

Tony turned around and slowly walked over to his desk and glanced over to Neora as she bent down to massaged her feet. A big bang startled both of them as Tony grunted and hobbled over to his chair as he tried to play off stubbing his toe in a cool way. Neora blushed and giggled as she straightened up and started to tap the iPad and go through the agenda. Tony cleared his throat once again as he leaned onto his desk and started to work on his own matt as he pulled up his latest Iron Man suit. He started to tap on the screen and wanted to see how he could possibly make his suit more stealthier in a way.

"Aren't you supposed to be working?" Neora smirked from behind him, making Tony jump and look up at her, "You can do this on the plane if you finish up those forms I placed on your desk this morning"


	3. Take Off

"Wheels up!" Tony yelled out once Neora and him were on the jet, "Come on, let's go people. Mommy said that I can't play with my toys until we are in the air"

"I didn't say it like that" Neora rolled her eyes as she took her seat, "I just wanted you to finish off the paperwork before we even left the city"

"Well, I did it so are you happy?" Tony asked, "Now, if you please, can I have my projector back? You interrupted me when I was on a breakthrough of phenomenal thoughts"

"I guess you earned it" Neora took out of her bag to rolled up mat, "I do have to say that you finished those paperwork in record timing. I honestly never met anyone whose been that dedicated to his work. I don't think I've ever met anyone who so desperately wants to be different from the rest of his kind"

"You know, you should really talk to a friend of mine" Tony started, "He's an agent that helped bring the whole band together in that invasion"

"And what do you think he will do that's so different from the others?" Neora asked, "Not everyone is too fond of mutants like you are, Mr. Stark"

"Maybe before the alien attack but as far as people know, it was mutants who stepped up and stopped the world from being destroyed" Tony said.

"Maybe" Neora said slowly, "But you'll still have to convince me otherwise"

Tony locked eyes with her for a while before he winked at his new assistant. The jet started to power up as Neora felt it move over to the runway. She glanced outside at the world around them as she found herself wondering if Tony Stark was right. She hadn't heard much about the hatred of mutant kind on television as much anymore. But still, it was there but not as amplified as it used to be. Neora took in a slow breath and looked back over to Tony just in time to see his eyes cast quickly down to his mat making Neora smirk as she leaned her head back and closed her eyes as the pilot announced that they were clear for take off.


	4. Smile

Neora watched as the Billionaire slept across from her with his headphones jammed in his ears. Her body itched with every fiber in her body to grab the letter opener that was between them and jab it into his throat. This mission would've been so easy and no one would know who did it. Why in the hell did she accept the terms to make him fall in love with her anyways? She already had enough money to get her by so what was she thinking about? The challenge certainly excited her that was one thing.

The mutant leaned back in her chair and sighed as she thought about ways to impress Mr. Stark and seep her way into his heart. She could go for the romantic side but she feared that would take too long and only cause boredom for her. The thrill seeker never seems to disappoint but given Tony Stark's personality, he most likely has classified those types of girls as one night standers. Then the was the troublemaker side but she quickly ruled that one out if she wanted to get fired and ruin her chances all together. Neora picked up the knife and spun it around in her hands as she figured out that this was going to be a lot more complicated then she actually thought.

"We are prepared to land, sir" an British voice said overhead, making Tony jolt from his sleep, "Did you have a nice rest?"

"It would've been better if you hadn't spoken into my headphones like that" Tony responded.

"Who is that?" Neora questioned.

Neora looked down the cabin but couldn't see anyone emerge from anywhere within the jet to claim that the voice was theirs. A perplexed look crossed her face as she wondered if it was only just her imagination that made her believe the voice. She heard a chuckle and turned to see that Tony was just shaking his head and laughing at her. The woman glared at him but bit back her tongue to say anything to her new boss.

"My name is JARVIS" the British accent responded.

That's when the woman realized that the accent sounded too clean, almost like Bruce Wayne's butler clean. The man sounded like a machine which she shouldn't really be surprised about that considering how Mr. Stark has been known to be a genius. Defeated, Neora settled back into her seat and tried her best not to look too humiliated.

"Just A Rather Very Intelligent System" Tony broke it down for her.

It took the mutant a couple of seconds to realize that Tony had just spelled out the computer's name. Impressed, she gave him a small nod and a smile to go along with that.

"No kidding" Neora replied, "Very impressive"

"Pleasure to meet you, Miss Hunter" JARVIS responded, "I am pleased to have you abroad with us in this company"

"It knows my name?" Neora looked over to Tony.

"Well, duh" Tony looked over to her, "I programmed him. Nothing will get past JARVIS. I would live to see the day when JARVIS would be caught off guard"

"Don't get too confident" Neora had to reply, "You would be surprised at how people can throw you off guard. It's in our human nature"

Neora couldn't help but think of the look of betrayal on Tony's face the day that she would decide to end his life.

"Confidence is my middle name, baby" Tony replied with a wink.

"So I've heard" Neora smirked, "You've been quite known to the single women in nearly every popular city"

"And what do they say about me?" Toy asked as he popped a blueberry into his mouth.

"That you're a player" Neora remarked, "You have a charm that even the strongest willed woman could be made into a teenager with just your words"

"That kinda sounds poetic" Tony said.

"It's only from what I've heard" Neora shrugged it off, "I'm sure there are other rumors where they say that you are a gentleman with a heart of gold. But I haven't heard of those ones just yet. It doesn't really matter to me, though. I'm only here strictly for business"

"We'll see about that" Tony said in a powerful and seductive voice.

"Sir, remember what your oathe was about?" JARVIS asked.

Tony jammed his eyes shut, "Thank you, JARVIS"

* * *

><p>Tony opened the bathroom door and made his way over to his bed. He tossed the white towel aside and sighed as he started to shut down everything that had the Ironman sketch on it. His mind has been in a nonstop turmoil with growing new ideas that he wished that he was at home right now to check up with these designs and try to equip them into his suits. His eyes grew tired but he refused to looked at the comfortable pillow as he made his way over to the coffee pot. He refused to sleep and knew what would be there waiting for him in his dream state. Tony took a long sip of the coffee until the burning liquid heated up his throat to the point that he coughed into his mug.<p>

He wondered if anyone else from the Avengers was having this sort of problem. As far as he knows, Captain America was being under the careful watch of the Black Widow and helping him get up to speed with modern-day life. Hawkeye was only SHIELD knows where and his good friend Dr. Banner has gone under the radar again. Tony could ask JARVIS to find the Hulk but only felt like that would be invading his space. He sighed and decided against it, Tony had a lot more things to worry about than wondering if his team mates are currently on the verge of losing their minds just like him.

"Sir, your alarm is supposed to wake you in four hours" JARVIS' voice resounded throughout the room, "Are you sure drinking coffee right now is wise? You need to rest"

"I'm aware of that" Tony replied, "Why do I even bother bringing you to the trips with me? All you do is plague me with various questions about my health. You're starting to act like an overly attached mother, do you know that? Jeez, you get on my nerves sometimes. I'm just going to stay up for one more hour to get this done. I have a big presentation tomorrow anyways"

"Which also means that you should get enough rest as much as you can"

"Look, if worse goes to worst, I'll let Neora handle it. I mean, Pepper has done it thousands of times in my name, so can she. I have complete and total faith in her"

"She is highly intelligent" JARVIS commented, "Neora will find out eventually what is going on with you. Whether she will stay or go is entirely up to her"

"That sounds familiar. Are you sure you aren't talking about Ms. Potts?" Tony retorted.

"I meant no offense. I know how much you miss Ms. Potts"

"Let's drop the subject, please" Tony quickly responded, "You know what? I'm tired, I'll go to bed now just to avoid this awkward conversation with you"


	5. Anxiety

"Great" Tony groaned the next morning, "I definitely feel up to a speech this morning. Why can't we all just call it a day and stop with all of these boring meetings? There's no fun in any of them. It's all full of explaining stuff that you know the interviewers will not know a damn thing that you are saying. So why even bother?"

"Well, I can definitely tell that you are a morning type. Didn't you sleep after the formal dinner?" Neora asked as she opened up her iPad.

"Not exactly. Sleep and I don't get along anymore" Tony replied back.

Tony leaned over his breakfast and started to eat his scrambled eggs in a really slow motion. If Neora had known any better, she would say that he looked hung over. But judging by his baggy eyelids, red eyes, and the way he leans his head on everything, she felt like this was more of an internal battle that was causing him to feel this way. The man took his mug of coffee and started to drink it almost like as if it was water before he shook his head violently and placed it back down. Tony looked up and met her eyes, making Neora will a blush to her cheeks as she glanced back down to her iPad. She then cleared her throat as she set it back down next to her and looked over to the man with caution written all over her eyes.

"You look sick" Neora replied.

She stood up and walked over to Tony and placed her hand onto his forehead with her thumb slightly over his eyes. She felt his long lashes close as he took in a deep breath as Neora waited there for a couple of seconds. The mutant silently thanked herself for putting on her vanilla perfume as she wanted him to take in the scent of her as of this moment. Neora slowly placed her hand to the side of his cheek as she noticed that Tony's eyes remained closed as he leaned his head closer to her hand. Neora fought back the smirk and comment of men falling too hard as she cocked her head to the side and expressed concern when Tony Stark finally opened his eyes.

"I'm not sick. Just really tired" Tony cleared his throat as he straightened up, "Listen, I think you should give the speech today, as a representative of mine"

"What?!" Neora yelled out, "No! I can't do that! Please, don't let me!"

"Why not? The last assistant has done it thousands of times" Tony countered, "You won't get in trouble. Trust me, just read one word after the other loud and in a clear voice"

"Then do it yourself!" Neora exclaimed, "I can't go up in front of people"

Tony watched as Neora turned into a Peridot color and collapsed down onto the ground as the mutant shook up. He quickly made his way down to her but hesitated when he reached out to touch her. Neora brought up her legs to her chest as she quickly rocked herself back and forth as she started hyperventilating. She started to quiver and repeat the last lines over and over again like a broken record.

"Look at me... It's alright, I'm here" Tony said in a small voice.

Neora looked up to the concern in his eyes as he placed a hand on her stony form. He gave her a grip on both arms but she couldn't feel any of it. All she could see was the concern in his eyes from her panic attack.

"Don't make me" Neora said in a low voice, "I can't stand in a roomful of humans again"

That was when Tony Stark did the unexpected that made her mind shift into a new form. He sat down next to her, draped his arms around her and forced the mutant to lean into his embrace.

The hug made Neora gasp slightly as she felt his head rest on top of hers.

He didn't know why he even thought about cuddling with a woman that he has only met within the first couple of days. He didn't really know if the mutant would grab him by his neck and throw him across the room. All he knew was that when he saw Neora scared out of her mind, all he wanted to do was protect him. From under him, he felt the material of her jacket go back to normal as he noticed that he wasn't hugging a woman with impervious skin anymore. Tony chose this time to give her another tight hug just to make sure that she was alright. It was at that moment, when Neora picked up her hand and gently placed it on top of his.

"Sir, Neora's heart rate was slowed down" JARVIS' voice boomed throughout the room, making the two jump, "May I suggest some water for Miss Hunter?"

"Holy crap! I'm starting to regret bringing you along" Tony got up and reached out his hand to her, "I wish I brought Butterfingers with me instead of you. At least that one doesn't give me orders"

"Thank you" Neora said as she stood up.

"Don't mention it" Tony waved it off.

"I'm sorry about that" Neora smoothed out her jacket, "That normally never happens to me. I have this anxiety of being the center of attention when it comes to jobs like these"

"Does it have something to do with being a mutant?" Tony asked.

"Unfortunately, yes" Neora nodded.

"What happened? If you don't mind me asking" Tony sat down back where he was sitting just moments ago.

Neora tensed up as she wished to just kill Tony right on the spot. She never really mentioned this to anyone and would prefer to keep it that way. But thanks to her anxiety attack, she had no choice. Neora slowly walked over to her seat and sat down as she tried to keep her hands from trembling once more. She blinked back the tears and tried to make her voice sound as firm as possible.

"My son was being bullied in school" Neora mentioned, "Just because he was a mutant, the kids thought it would be fun to tease and pick on him all day. I became upset and went all the way up to the Board to address this issue. I was hoping that with people seeing me, a mutant, stand up for her son that other mutants would join me in this march. But what I got in return was homosapiens waiting for me yelling words that I couldn't believe they would call someone like me"

"I'm sure his father was right there beside you the whole time" Tony reassured.

"He left as soon as I told him that I was a mutant... that was when my son was just 4 months old"

"And where is your son now?"

"Safe"

"If there's anything I can do to help, just let me know"

"You don't have to do that"

"But I want to"

"It'll just be a lost cause that you are fighting" Neora objected.

Tony got up from his spot, walked over to her and sat down next to her. She didn't know what he was doing there until he placed his hand in hers. She tensed up once again but Tony never let his hand go of hers. Tony wanted as Neora slowly lifted up her chestnut eyes to meet his gaze.

He didn't want to give this woman false hope but maybe there was something that he could do about this mess. The people loved him and loved his creation, Ironman. Why can't he use that to make the people feel more comfortable around mutants?

"It was until now" Tony replied.

"What are you planning on doing?" Neora asked.

"When we get back to Malibu, I will set up meetings to talk about mutant cruelty" Tony said with much confidence in his voice.

"I will set it as a reminder, sir" JARVIS said from up above.

Neora gazed into Tony's eyes to see if this man was bluffing about what he means to do. She then gave him a small smile and a nod.

Maybe Tony Stark really was a man of his word.


	6. Sudden

An applause erupted in the room as Tony Stark waved at the audience as the camera's started to flash. He gave his signature smile and shook the hosts hand and paused for a couple of seconds for photos. Neora watched from the sidelines as she clapped with the rest of the people in the room in a nonchalant way. She did have to give credit where it's due, Tony was right about the whole interview with the magazines and newspapers. Half of the room looked like they were about ready to fall asleep in their chairs just after five minutes of Tony talking. It seemed like the only thing that the community cared about was his Ironman suit and the alien invasion.

"How did I do?" Tony asked her.

"Very boring" Neora has to admit.

"I told you... let's say that we finally get out of here" Tony offered.

Neora couldn't help but smile at that as both Tony and Neora turned around and walked back over to the elevators with Happy right behind them. She felt relieved that this whole day was finally over. Her feet were killing her, just begging for her to kick them off and throw them into the wall. As they entered the lobby a man seemed to be waiting for them as he beamed and raised his hand out to Mr. Stark for him to shake his hand. She glanced over to Happy who didn't look pleased that this man could just walk right up to Tony without asking permission from the bodyguard at all.

She let out a low sigh as she tried to fight the urge to speed up their conversation. Neora took a glance around the extravagant room as the woman dozed off. All she wanted was to go back to Malibu and rest for a day or two, maybe even take a nap on the plan. She thought that watching Tony Stark on a business day would be more entertaining but she had no idea that it would be this incredibly boring compared to the personality that he shares with the world.

"Anyways!" the man finally concluded, "I am looking forward to seeing all of you at the banquet tonight"

"Sure thing! There is going to be a party of some sort after that, right?" Tony asked.

The older man let out a laugh as if that was the funniest thing that he had ever heard. Tony glanced over to Neora who could only shrug. Apparently the man had no idea that Mr. Stark was completely serious about having a good time.

"It starts at 7... don't be late!" the man quickly walked away.

"Apparently I'm a lot more humorous than I thought" Tony commented as they both watched the man shake hands with someone else.

Neora giggled as the trio made their way over to the open elevator door that seemed to be waiting for them. When it closed, the three just remained in silence for a while, staring at their own reflections.

Tony then cleared his throat as he turned and looked over to Neora.

"Don't even try to ask me to go to that banquet" Neora let out.

"It'll be fun" Tony assured.

"You know I'll be there" Happy joined in.

Tony rolled his eyes and glanced over his shoulder at his bodyguard who only glanced down and then shrugged. Of course the man will be there, he mentioned food and wherever food was, Happy was. The elevator dinged as they got out onto the top floor and walked down the hall over to Tony Stark's main room. He ordered out a penthouse with three rooms in it so that they would all stick together. Once Neora opened the door, she leaned onto the wall and pulled off her shoes and tossed them to the side. Tony stopped with Happy as they both witnessed Neora walk over to the back of the counter and take out a scotch glass for herself.

She poured a little bit into her cup and then took a long sip out of it. The mutant then walked over to the couch and then sat down as she rubbed her feet. Tony couldn't help but feel impressed with the way that the woman was acting in front of them. Pepper would've walked on nails rather than do what Neora just did. Tony looked over to Happy who just waved his hand out over to Neora, signaling for his boss to join her.

He gave a thumbs up before he quickly walked over to the counter and take out a glass for himself. Tony didn't know why all of a sudden he felt so excited for this moment but he quickly pushed that thought to the back of his mind. Tony trotted over to Neora and then sat down in front of her as he drank the dark brown liquid as he watched intently. She only gave a small smile as she pretended not to notice Tony Stark sitting down in front of her.

She slowly raised up her eyes and looked over to the man who gave her a cheeky smile, making Neora giggle. The mutant cleared her throat and moved out over to get the iPad that she had been so accoustumed to love. Neora set it down onto her lap as she typed in the password and then started to get back to work.

"Nope" Tony grabbed the iPad and put it behind him, "We'll have none of that right now. You've been keeping your head down in that iPad that I think you've forgotten about the world around you. Which is why you need to go to the banquet tonight. My treat!"

Neora rolled her eyes as she leaned back into the couch as she took a sip of her drink. Tony then pouted out his lips and did his best puppy dog expression that he could muster.

She didn't know whether or not to accept the offer or not.

"I think I'll just stay here for tonight" Neora let out.

Tony shook his head, "Not an option"

"But I didn't bring a dress. All I brought was those pencil skirts and blouses" Neora nodded and glared at the shiny black shoes in the corner, "And those killers that they call heels"

"JARVIS, find Miss Hunter a dress and shoes that will be comfortable for her to wear" Tony said without breaking his eye contact with her.

"What?! No, you don't have to do that. I'm prefectly fine with just staying here for tonight!" Neora exclaimed.

"Too late" Tony shrugged as he smiled to her.

He gave her his million dollar smile before he got up from the couch and left her to her own thoughts. Neora wanted to call after him but she didn't really know what to say. So instead, she sighed in defeat and walked over to the sink and placed her cup down. The woman leaned onto the counter and glanced down to the lone glass that was just sitting here. She felt this impending doom cloud over her head as she didn't really know what to think as of this moment. Neora sighed as she got up and walked over to her room as she hoped that she wouldn't be disturbed by anyone from now on.

She closed the door and let out a sigh as she shrank down to the ground. Neora placed her hand onto her palm as she reluctantly thought about her son. The sound of clanking glass made her look to her hand as her skin started to change once again. Neora shuddered as she brought her legs up to her chest and bent her head down onto her knees. This change felt sudden and new but she knew what had to be done in order for things to be set back into her normal life.


	7. Blow

Neora turned slightly as she gazed at her reflection in complete and total awe. She didn't really remember when was the last time she tried on a dress like this, or even doing her hair in an elegant matter. If anything, she felt like Cinderella getting ready to go down to the ball. Neora smoothed out the maroon dress as she watched her hair fall perfectly in place. JARVIS did an excellent job in figuring out her size and style. The dress that she had on well exceeded her paycheck and wouldn't even be a dress that she would even think about purchasing for fear of the price.

She glanced over to her drawer and walked over to the furniture to open it up and reveal a drawer full of knives. Neora bit the side of her lip as she took a special note of which one to take before she settled for her black RC086-3. She placed them on a strap on her right leg before she let the dress drop down to hide her secret. Neora glanced back over to her mirror again and smirked as her eyes trimmed down to her leg. She felt somewhat a hell of a lot more sexier knowing that she had one of the deadliest knives strapped to her body.

Her phone rang just as she was about to leave her room, "Neora speaking"

"Hello!" came the cheerful voice of her investor which made her stop in her tracks, "I was just wondering how our little transaction was going. I just figured that by now you would've had him on the ground. Instead, I'm looking at the news and seeing his face all over it talking about some bullshit claim that no one really cares about. I mean, how long is this going to take?"

"You didn't give me an end date" Neora said in a low voice, "Only that I should make him fall in love with me"

"Well, try harder!" the man screamed into her ear, "I'm telling you, if he comes back to Malibu alive then I will think that you weren't up for the job"

"You can't make a person fall in love with you in one weekend" Neora pointed out.

"Then I suggest you better figure out a way to make him do just that" the man paused, "Otherwise, Tony Stark won't be the only one who would be running for his life"

Neora glared and opened up her mouth to threaten him too but the end dial tone sounded in her ear. She turned and meant to toss her phone to her bed but her super strength made it fly past the bed and hit the wall. Neora groaned as she watched the screen crack as it lit up from its place on the ground. She doesn't know how many times she's done this to countless phones just because of her aggression.

* * *

><p>"Thank you all for a wonderful weekend. I'm looking forward to next year's convention already" Tony lied as he walked away from the prying couple.<p>

Tony Stark rolled his eyes as he moved to take a drink out of his champagne. He stopped in mid-stride when he noticed Neora walking through the crowd and over to him. If he had his regular heart, he would be pretty sure that it would be going into cardiac arrest right about now.

"I saw that eye roll from all the way across the room" Neora commented the second she joined him.

"Even I get bored at these annual, mandatory conventions" Tony replied back.

"So let's make this night a little less boring, shall we?" Neora leaned in slightly and winked at him.

Tony did a double take as he realized that Neora was serious and not playing around. He quickly turned and took another champagne off of the waiters plate and handed it to her.

She gladly accepted it, raised it up to him and then took a sip as her eyes lingered on his lips.


	8. Potential

"So how do you like being an assistant so far?" Tony asked once they found their seats and were eating their food, "Not a lot of people usually enjoy working for someone like me. Especially on weekends when they are supposed to be doing something else. But you seem to have taken it in quick stride"

"I usually start slacking off by the 4th month" Neora joked, "You will start to forget that you even had an assistant by then"

Tony looked up from his plate and noticed a cute smile placed on Neora's lips as she put the food in her mouth. He couldn't help but chuckle at the irony of someone like her just getting up and leaving from a job. He shook his head as he started to cut into the piece of meat that was displayed on his white porcelain plate. Tony never really thought that an assistant would be so fun to have around. He was so used to Pepper Potts keeping him in check and acting like a mother to him more than his assistant. Tony actually felt sorry for Neora for even thinking that she and Miss Potts could be placed within the same category of dullness.

"Hopefully by then your Mastermind techniques will get through to me" Tony glanced back to her, "I've seen the way that you've handled the appointments, scheduling, and calls lately and I've got to say that I'm very impressed. I can see you holding up a company sometime in your life"

Neora stopped and glanced up to her white wine sitting in front of her as the candlelight danced around inside the cup. She felt her body stiffen as she thought of herself on the top floor of a massive building knowing that she has the power to do anything within the company and hundreds to do her will. The thought made her feel slightly nostalgic for that timing as she wondered how she could switch from being an assassin to a CEO. She blinked and continued to move the rice around on her plate as the feeling died. There was no way that a woman like her could ever dream up of a fortune so big.

Tony leaned back as he placed his wine to his lips and took in a big sip as he watched Neora's expression change. He's taken to note that she seems to do this often, like as if she holds back her true potential just to be pleased with the life that she has now. Someone in her life has taught her to not expect much out of her life and he could only guess who and why. Being a mutant doesn't really have its perks as it does with a billionaire with an iron suit.

"Maybe in another life" Neora confirmed Tony's thoughts.

She straightened up and quickly put the food in her mouth to stop the conversation. Tony let out a slow sigh as he went back to eating his own food. The tension between the two seemed to have been well noted to anyone who could have a sense of what was going on between Tony Stark and Neora Hunter.


	9. Haunted

"I'm sorry for what I did"

"Don't worry about it"

"It was uncalled for, I should've never disrespected you like that" Tony continued.

Neora turned around to argue with the man but then suddenly stopped. She didn't really know what to say as she felt like she was looking at Mr. Tony Stark for the first time. He actually did seem guilty and rather uncomfortable in confessing his actions. The man was just playing around with his fingers as his eyes stayed on the glass table. It almost looked like he was waiting to be scolded, something his father must've done to him in the little amount of time that he had with Tony. Neora picked up her dress and walked over to the man and placed a hand on his shoulder, making him glance up and into her chestnut eyes.

"Don't be too hard on yourself... have a good night's sleep, Tony" Neora said in a gentle voice.

"No, I don't sleep, but you go right on ahead" Tony smiled to her as he waved her off.

"Why?" And then Neora realized, "The invasion. You've been left scarred by it"

"Well, when you put it that way" Tony rolled his eyes at her, "It's okay, I've grown accustomed to staying awake for as long as I can"

"You shouldn't have to, I'll stay by your side tonight to comfort you" Neora blurted out, "I'm a pretty light sleeper and will know when you're having a bed dream. You shouldn't have to be afraid of going to sleep at night"

"That isn't really necessary" Tony immediately shook his head, "You shouldn't have to do that. I mean, I'm sure your payroll doesn't even cover for that kind of service. I don't really want that to be hanging over my head right now. It would kind of suck, plus you would be technically working overtime which I don't really think would be a great idea"

Neora let out a light laugh as she just shook her head and walked over to her own room. Tony watched as she stopped by the doorway to glance back at him before she disappeared into her room. In all his years of "getting to know" women, he has never really met anyone who would dare to look over their shoulder at him. The gesture somehow made him really good about himself as he too went over to his room. He took out his PJs from a drawer, closed his eyes, and sighed as he braced himself for what horrid visions will come later tonight.


	10. Dance, Dance, Dance

"They're coming" Neora heard through the silence.

"Huh?" Neora's eyes popped open as she turned around to face Tony's back, "Who is?"

"They're everywhere" Tony mumbled.

"The dream" Neora propped herself onto her elbow and leaned over to see Tony's face scrunched up in a knot, "It's alright. They can't hurt you anymore"

Her words didn't seem to get through to him as Tony started to moan and jolt as sweat beaded across his forehead. Her breath went still as she realized how panicked and scared he looked and wondered what is it that she could possibly do to make him stop. She placed her hand on top of his head and slowly started to trail it down and pet him. Neora slowly placed her small arm around his midsection and lean closer into him until her body was pressed against his. She laid her head down to the crook of his neck and started to nuzzled her face deeper into it. Neora manipulated the wind that was just outside their window to send in a small and cool breeze to help wake him up.

His breathing had started to slow down as he seemed to be waking up. Neora wandered up she should untangle herself from him before he does but her body seemed to be paralyzed to the spot. She knew that this specific treatment wasn't because she wanted him to feel one more step closer to falling in love with her, this night was all about the mutant. For once in her life, she wanted the world to stop and not resume back to the next day. She knew in the back of her mind that this afternoon, Tony Stark and Neora were going to be heading back to Malibu with her price hanging over his head.

* * *

><p>Tony woke up with a jolt, "They're here!"<p>

"_I'm_ here" Neora's frail voice whispered into his ear, "Go back to sleep"

Tony took in a few more deep breaths before he realized that Neora's arm was around his body. In the darkness, he realized that he felt safe in her arms as the aliens were miles away. He pulled his arm back and placed his hand on top of hers and wrapped his fingers around hers. His eyes closed as he let out a relieved sigh as he felt Neora's thumb trace small circles into his skin.

He then placed her hand to his lips and slowly kissed them before placing their conjoined hands to his chest. At first, he thought that the move was too bold for his assistant's liking but then he felt her nuzzled her nose deeper into his neck, making shivers go along his spine. A small smile spread across his lips as he drifted off into sleep once more.


	11. Crossroad

"Good morning, sir" JARVIS spoke up, "How was your night?"

Tony Stark jolted awake from the voice up above. He moaned as he pressed his palms into his eyes and started to rub them vigorously. He honestly felt like that was the best sleep he ever had in months. His mind went back to the night before on how Neora wrapped herself around him until he fell asleep. Tony quickly looked over to his right and noticed that she was gone, he got up to look for her when he stopped and looked over to his desk. Neora sat on the chair as she brushed her damp hair smiling over to him as she got ready to style her hair.

"Great" Tony responded, "Why in the hell did you wake me? Nothing's on fire is it?"

"No, sir" JARVIS replied back.

"Then next time, let me wake up on my own terms" Tony rolled over and burrowed his head into the pillow.

"But sir, your plane leaves in four hours" JARVIS continued.

"What time is it?" Tony rolled back over to look at the clock, "Jesus, it's 10:30?!"

Tony quickly pulled back the blankets and rushed on over to the bathroom as he passed Neora, he placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze, the woman smiled as she stayed in place. Suddenly, she stiffened at the thought of returning back to that place, knowing that it could only mean death for Tony. Panic seized her as she closed her eyes and tried to recall her assassin side, claiming that this is just another job that needs to be done for the better of the world. But no, she couldn't, all she could think about is how sad and regretful she would feel once the job was done. Neora opened her eyes as she knew what she has to do, but she was afraid to do it.

Neora quickly got out of the room and went over to her trusted iPad that was on the couch and started to type in the password. She quickly pulled up the jet's flight and tried her best to try to cancel it or at least move it to a different day. The only problem was, there was a password in order to make that happen. Neora gritted her teeth as she tried her best to find out what the combination was before the screen blacked out altogether.

She heard beeping coming from behind her, making Neora turn to see Tony emerge from the room as he took out his glass device. Neora watched in slow motion as Tony stopped and read some sort of report. He turned around and gave the woman the most peculiar look that she had ever seen as he faced her.

"Why are you trying to cancel the flight?" Tony asked, "As much as you know I love it at this boring conventions, I do miss working at home, you know"

"We can't go back" Neora responded.

"What's going on?" Happy said in a sleepy voice.

"Apparently, Neora doesn't want to go back" Tony told his friend.

"There's someone back in Malibu that wants you dead" Neora confessed, "He wants you dead even before we get into California's state line"

Tony and Happy both exchanged looks as they noticed that Neora looked serious. But how could she have known this and not say anything?

Tony glanced over to her as he watched the mutant more carefully this time.

Neora shrank down to the back of the couch and sat there with her eyes to the floor. She looked sad, no guilty. This isn't something that she's too fond of. Normal people would've shown panic and want to leave the building, but no her. Tony let out a slow breath as he ran his hand through his hair as he realized what was going on. He just prayed that it wasn't the truth.

Neora felt tense from all of the tension in the room as she went over to the door and yanked it open. A man stood there with the bag carriers as Happy quickly spoke up and directed him over to where he had the luggage. As the man passed her, her hand brushed up his pants as she felt a hard object making her stop and turn around. The man stopped and bent down to look as if he was about to tie his shoe. Neora gasped as she quickly ran in front of Tony as she felt her impervious skin take hold of her body as the man started to shoot at Tony.

She heard the sound of crashing objects as the man shot his rounds into her skin, not doing any damage to Neora herself. Happy quickly took out his gun and fired into the man, making him collapse to the floor and go sickeningly still. Neora changed back into her usual skin form making the crushed bullets fall down to the floor as she walked over to the man on the ground. She quickly recognized him as one of the client's bodyguards that he had that night.

"I have to go" Neora mumbled.

"Who was that guy?" Happy asked, "You know something, I know you do! What in the hell is going on?!"

Neora ignored him as she turned to walk away but Happy reached out and grabbed onto her arm. Instinct took over as she turned around and pushed Happy hard, making him fly over to the couch and flip onto the floor. Her eyes widened as she heard Happy coughing on the ground, she didn't mean to push him that hard.

"Someone is out to kill me" Tony pieced together, "You knew this man, didn't you?"

There it was again. Neora glanced back down to the body as she slowly shrank away from it.

"He was one of my client's bodyguards" Neora answered.

"Client?" Tony repeated.

And then it clicks.

"You were sent to kill me" Tony nodded, "I was your mark"

"Yes"

"Then why didn't you do it? You had a job so why didn't you take it?" Tony questioned, "Why did this guy suddenly get impatient enough to send someone else. Neora, tell me the truth"

"Because I felt something that I haven't felt in a long time" Neora said in a small voice, "I'll go back and find my client. I'm going to end this madness and you won't see me again. Don't worry, your life will soon turn back to normal"

"He assigned you because you're a mutant" Tony says, "What makes you think that he's not going to hire anymore mutants to take you out?"

Neora slightly glared, "I can handle my own. Just stay here until the end of the week"

Neora turned and was about to leave but then stopped as she realized that she had just confessed to being an assassin. She turned back over to her room and took out a small duffel bag and start piling in all of her weapons that she had brought with her to the trip. Her mind raced as she thought of a way to get into contact with her client but she never really had a problem with finding them before. Tony stepped into her room and couldn't help but gawk as the woman took out a bunch of knives, guns, and clips from nearly every corner of the room. He wondered which one she was planning on killing him with. His mind stopped as he noticed that he was going to let this woman just walk out of his life, knowing that she was risking her life for his.

"You can't do this alone" Tony told her, "You need help. You don't know how many assassins this guy has on speed dial"

"It hasn't slowed me down before" Neora said in a nonchalant way, "I'm guessing that you're opting to help me out? Even after I told you that it was my duty to kill you in the first place"

"Trust me, a lot of women tried to kill me after spending one night in my bed" Tony remarked, making Neora roll her eyes, "He wants me, right?"

"I'm not using you as bait" Neora replied, "That isn't how I do things. I work better alone"

"You often work better getting your job done and moving onto the next" Tony took a step toward her, "This is a whole different ball game for you and I can even tell that you don't even have a plan for this one. I'm just making sure that you don't get yourself killed. Like it or not, you just made a very powerful ally"


	12. Inner Conflicts

"I told you" Neora said in a firm voice, "I don't want you to help me"

"And I told you that I'm not helping you, I'm just following you" Tony replied back.

"Then why did you drug me and take me back to your Malibu home?" Neora asked as a small tornado formed in the corner, "You do realize that once he knows you're here you won't be calling this place a home, just a pile of dust"

"Right!" Tony nodded as he noticed a few of his tools smashed the glass wall, making Neora stop her tornado, "Well, I was a bit concerned for you and I didn't really know how to put it. I hope you can forgive me"

"I've dealt with men like him before" Neora rolled her eyes.

"But I've grown up with men like him"

"You don't understand!" Neora shouted out, "I don't want you to help because I don't want you to distract me! I'll worry about of what he will do to you once the both of you are in the same room together"

"Because of your feelings for me"

"Which is why you need to stay behind"

"And what about me?" Tony took a step toward her, "You don't think I'll be concerned for you after your client knows that you backstabbed him? I hate to break it to you but mutants aren't really the only thing that you should be worried about as of now"

Neora swallowed hard as she turned and looked around at the many Iron Man suits in the room. She had to admit that Tony was right about her newly found enemy. She prefers to not know too much about her clients for she hates to give them the false hope that they were acquaintances. The last man who tried to kill Tony was just a normal human with no special powers of his own. Who else would the boss try to send this time? She felt hands on her arms making Neora look up into Tony's eyes.

"His target was you" Neora said in a low voice.

"And now it's both of us" Tony replied, "I'm not going to let you go through with this alone. Hell, I may never let you out of my sight ever again"

"Isn't that pleasing to hear" Neora huffed.

"You have the mastermind of an assassin and I can help with the technical genius part" Tony offered.

"You really want to do this?" Neora questioned, "Team up on a man who is set out to kill us?"

"Why not... let's bring the party to him" Tony shrugged.

Tony clucked his tongue as he slightly nudged Neora's chin before he went back to his work bench. She folded her arms and looked over to him as he put on his safety goggles and started to talk to JARVIS overhead. She let out a sigh as she ran a hand through her hair and closed her eyes. Neora was terrified of what may come into play in these next couple of days and didn't know whether she was coming back out alive. Neora looked up and placed hands on her hips as she tried to steady her thinking.

Tony was well aware of Neora's mental war going on behind him as he tried his best not to say anything to her. He knew someone with her type of personality would rather face her demons alone. He was also like that before he was signed onto the Avengers and ever since, he felt more open to the idea of a team. Tony looked through a reflection off of a piece of metal as Neora bowed down her head and shoved her hands into her pockets.

"We need to make a stop somewhere" Neora broke the silence, "Before we start going off into an endless battle. I need to see my son one more time. Just to make sure that he's okay"

Tony turned around and looked at Neora as he noticed that tears were forming in her eyes. He took a rag towel and started to slowly wipe his hands as he gave her a nod. It was something in her expression that made him not want ask where her son was.

Neora nodded to him as a sob escaped her lips, she walked up and kissed him on the cheek before she exited the room. She stubbornly rubbed her face with her sleeves as she ran up the stairs and tried to prepare herself for the drive over to Pomona.


	13. Fire Meet Gasoline

"I don't know what to say to him" Neora said later that night, "It's been too long. He probably doesn't like that I'm even here in the first place"

"Just say what's on your mind" Tony nudged her forward, "He'll understand"

Neora slowly walked over to the tombstone that read **Hunter Warren, **her throat swelled up as she placed the Marigolds down on the ground in front of the name. She was so picky about going to any open flower store to pick up those specific flowers that it was driving Tony insane at the moment. And now, standing with her in the darkness as he stared at the mother with her son's tombstone, he completely understood. He had no idea that her son was dead, never even thought about asking about his whereabouts because he thought that would sound too pushy for her kind of topic. Now he was both happy and sad that he didn't pressure her about her son as he found himself wondering what happened to him. The air wasn't even chilly yet but Tony still gave off a shiver as he waited for Neora to finally talk to her son.

* * *

><p>It's been two years and four months since Hunter had passed away. If being a mutant wasn't enough for him than who would've imagined being a mutant with cancer. Everywhere she went, hospitals either rejected them or overpriced the mutant family to the point that they had to live without power for a whole month just to get his treatment. Neora blinked away the tears as she remembered how angry she was when Hunter had finally died. It was that point when she became an assassin and only hunted the humans who rejected them before she decided to do this as a full on job.<p>

"Nothing's coming to mind" Neora said in a tired voice over her shoulder, "We shouldn't have come here in the first place"

"Then let me" Tony said in a loud voice, "Hi, Hunter! My name is Tony Stark. You might have heard about me, you might not have, but that's totally fine. I only knew so much about you because even though you are in a better place than this world, your mother still had the need to protect you. And I know for a fact that that's what she's been doing since the day you were born. She tried to fight for you when you were improperly punished at your school and honestly, I wished that I paid more attention to the news when that happened. I might have still been a human back then but I still had compassion over your kind. That was the idea that I came up with the Iron Man. It was to become a mutant because I wasn't one. You see, not a lot of people were cruel like those kids were to you. Some kids like to dream about being able to fly or even having super human strength. Your mother has been one of the most unusual mutants that I had ever met. And I'm not saying she's unique because she became an assassin even though that may seem pretty cool when you're a boy at your age. I'm saying it because she of all people is by far one of the most precious warriors that is on this Earth and I wished that I had her on my side during the alien invasion because she would've totally kicked ass"

Neora turned around and looked over to Tony who stood behind her. He gazed down into her eyes for a moment as she realized how sincere his words were. Neora turned back around and glanced at the name as she wished that she could see his face one last time. Neora took a deep breath in through her nose and held it as Tony's words gave her the confidence to finally speak to her son.

"Mommy's been a very bad girl recently" Neora spoke up.

Neora dropped her gaze down to the marigolds as she remembered how much her son loved them. He said that they reminded him of pumpkins and pumpkins reminded him of Halloween, the day he could be anything he wanted without anyone judging him. Tears trailed down her face as she closed her eyes and covered her mouth.

"I wouldn't put it like that" Tony commented.

"I killed many people ever since his death" Neora said over her shoulder.

"Because you were angry" Tony told her, "When my parents died, I was angry. I was alone and I hated everyone around me"

"I felt nothing when I killed those people" Neora commented.

She ran a hand through her hair and looked back over to the tombstone. Does she really want to talk about this over her son's grave?

"You were grieving" Tony reassured.

That's what Neora tried to tell herself when she thought about what her son would say to her if he knew what kind of path she was on now.

"I'm here to make things better now. After this, no more killing" Neora told her son.

"I'll make sure of that"

"You better"

"Honest to God. As my assistant, I don't want you killing off my co-workers" Tony waved his hand up to his sides.

"What?" Neora looked behind her, "I still have a job with you?"

Tony smiled and shrugged. A small smile formed on her lips as she turned back around. Tony was probably one of the most one-of-a-kind person she has ever met. She just confessed to being an assassin and she still keeps her job and most likely, her growing place in his heart. Neora glanced down at the time and realized that they should be going soon. She didn't want to stay in a place for too long and have that man find out about her son, even in death she still wants to protect his grave.

Neora got on top of her knees and kissed the top of the tombstone as she closed her eyes. Her mind flashed back to when she kissed his forehead in the church when it was just him and her alone in the room. She longed to stay in that room forever but the undertakers couldn't afford for her to stay for as long as she did. A teardrop splashed down onto the gravel as she straightened up and looked down at the marigolds one last time.

"Don't you want to stay longer?" Tony asked.

"He knows what I have to do to protect my boss" Neora told him, "And he also knows that I will be back to tell him how it went"

"Can I ask to join you when you come to visit him again? He's kind of growing on me" Tony asked.

Neora smiled to Tony, "I think he would like that. Hunter would've definitely liked to have met someone like you"

Tony brought an arm over her shoulder and steered the woman around as they made their way over to the car. Neora took one last glance over to the tombstone as she blew a kiss over to Hunter before turning back around. She leaned her body into Tony as he tightened his grip on her shoulder and kissed her on the top of her head.

Neora smiled a little as they both reached the car. She moved to open the door before Tony quickly opened the door and waited for Neora to get in.

He must've noticed her peculiar look on her face before he said, "There's no one out there like me"

"I can tell" Neora commented as she got into the car, "I guess chivalry isn't dead after all. You seem to surprise me everyday. I'm starting to like this, Tony Stark. And that's a very bad thing for you. I'd keep my distance"


	14. The Client

Neora stood outside of a high-end building as she gazed up at the many floors to the suite's up above her. It didn't take long for JARVIS to figure out where her client worked or what his true name was. She thought that by knowing this man's name, she would feel some sort of power over him, but she felt nothing. Just like the other times when she had business to deal with like men such as himself. Neora took a deep breath in and looked around her surroundings as she wanted to take it all in before she decided to go inside. Her future was such a wild card now that she has doubts of even making it out alive.

She walked inside the building to bright lights that nearly blinded her upon arrival. The receptionist desk was empty but she wasn't too surprised about that. It was 11:57 at night so who would be awake as of this hour. Neora walked down the hallway to the right of the entrance to the elevators near the corner. She pressed the button and waited for the elevator to arrive down at the lobby floor.

With a light _ding! _the elevator doors slid open as she walked in and pressed the top floor button. Neora rolled her eyes as the elevator door closed and gently lifted her up. The top floor... of course, it is. This man wasn't all talk for nothing.

The elevator suddenly stopped with a jolting end that it nearly made Neora panic for a second. She noticed that the intercom started to come alive as a sound came through it. At first she didn't know what it was, until she heard that it was laughter.

"I am very surprised, Neora" the client's voice spoke through, "Coming back to chop off the hand that's feeding you? Not a very good plan"

"I just want to talk" Neora spoke up, "Alter negotiations. I think you will like what I have to offer"

She heard a scoff at the other end before the elevator came alive once again and started to ascend up to the top floor. Neora took in a deep breath before the small room let off a ding and the doors slid open.

"Neora!" he exclaimed, "You know, usually I like my guests to call before they start to come up. But considering how you **were **my assassin, I decided to make an exception"

Neora took a step into the vast room as the man wrapped his robe tighter to his body, completely unfazed by how much pain that she could cause him.

She knew something was completely off about this setting. He just let a mutant into his penthouse in the middle of the night after trying to kill her. Neora looked around the room and couldn't even detect one bodyguard that he was so crowded with the first time they met. Could this be another trick? Neora looked over to the man as he sat down and stifled a yawn. He seemed too calm for a situation like this.

He looked down to his nails and started to inspect them like dirt was under them. Neora squinted her eyes at him as she studied the man. No one would be as unfazed as he is if it was just a random human sitting in a room with a mutant. She stiffened up as she realized that he could be a mutant himself. But what kind of power could he have and why didn't he go after Tony Stark on his own?

"Who are you?" Neora asked, "What are you?"

"Just call me a distant cousin" he winked.

"A mutant" Neora took a step backwards.

A door slam came from behind her, making Neora jump as she turned around to see the doors had closed and locked by themselves. Instinctively, Neora took out her blade and threw it at the mutant before she realized what she had just done. The blade stopped midway before flying back towards her. Neora heard a crunching sound as her blade crushed into her Peridot skin before collapsing to the ground.

The man got up and applauded like as if this was just a show to him. Neora looked down to her skin as she felt a wave of relief go through her body. She looked back up to the man and glared at him as another plan formed in her mind.

"I'm not going to lie to you" he says, "All of my bodyguards are mutants"

A chair came behind her and tried to make her sit down, but seeing how she still had her impervious skin up, the chair crashed into little pieces around her legs. Neora smirked as she folded her arms and leaned into her leg.

"So why hire me?" Neora asked.

"Who said you were the assassin and not the mark?" he replied.

"What did I ever do to you?" Neora questioned, "I remember the people I've met and you were never one of them"

The man smirked as he rubbed his knuckles in contemplation of whether or not to tell her.

"You're very well-known in the mutant world" the man began, "Now what would happen if another mutant was to be heard that he killed Neora the Assassin?"

"The mutant world would be thrown into a battlefield" Neora rolled her eyes, "I'm assuming you would be hoping for a power over that deed. People aren't going to be afraid of you, but thanks for trying anyways"

Neora shook her head as she walked around the room as she felt her own laughter resound in her throat. Believe it or not, this was not the first time a mutant as challenged her because of her reputation. She should've known that this was bound to happen sometime again soon, it's been too long since a mutant has tried to challenge her. She looked back over to the man and noticed a different client that she was so used to. He seemed angry in response to her comment as if that's not how he wanted Neora to react. She knew that it would be best to keep her resistant skin on.

"You don't know what kind of power I have over people" the man said in a dark voice, "Your death is the push I need"

"There won't be a "push" tonight" Neora mocked him, "Do you know how many mutants I've put down because they've tried to kill me?"

"Five"

"Looks like I've got an admirer"

"I've kept a close eye on you" the man smirked.

"I can see that" Neora noted, "So you should know how those mutants died then and what all of their mistakes were, right?"

Neora only waited for a bit as she already knew the answer to that question. She let out a slow sigh like as if she was disappointed by this man. But she knew she had to tread carefully with this man, she could see his temper rising. Although she knew that this man had telekinesis, that only gave her more of a weakness and not an advantage. She could still be thrown around until she becomes tired of concentrating on keeping her skin up.

"You won't be the one to kill me" the man shook his head, "You can imagine all of that in your head though, by all means. But you will be leaving this place in a body bag"

Neora felt an unsettling feeling stir inside of her as she tried to keep her composure. She hated when someone would threaten her life in a detail such as like that. A growl came from in her throat as she felt her hand inch to her back pocket once again. The man smirked, almost as if challenging her to make her move.

"So is that how you're going to kill me?" Neora asked, "Just keep on talking and boring me to death? So far this hasn't been as exciting as how you planned it out to be for me"

The man turned to her and nearly everything that was in the room started to float as if gravity meant nothing here. Neora caught her breath in her throat as she placed a hand on one of the blades. She looked around the room and felt frustrated as she knew what she was meant to do as of now.

"Can't wait to see your son?" the man asked.

"Okay" Neora looked him dead in the eyes, "Now you're dead"


	15. Iron Knight

"Come on" the man sighed, "You're holding back!"

Neora grunted as he slammed a cabinet down onto her body. She had tried several times to try to get her hands on him but every time she does that he would send her across to the other side of the room. Neora screamed out as she crushed the cabinet with her body and freed herself from the closed off space. Her eyes set on the man as she tried her best to run after him once again. This time, a couch slammed into her body and made her skid all over the floor. Frustration rose inside of her as she realized that she needs to be outside to take advantage of this mutant.

"You're a coward, you know that?" Neora let out, "What's a matter? Don't know what a far fight is?"

"I would but you have more of the advantage. You're the assassin and this would be my first kill" the mutant placed his hand onto his chest, "So forgive me for being a bit reluctant at the opportunity. Plus, I'm not stupid. I know for a fact that I'm not even hurting you under that green skin of yours. I know that if you come near me, you can crush my bones into millions of pieces. You see, you have more of the advantage than me. I can only throw objects with my mind. Well, the only power that you know I have so far. I'm just trying to keep things interesting so far"

Neora grabbed at the couch and threw it over to the man, he stopped it with his mind, but the other end of the couch flung into him. She heard him grunt as she got up and started to charge over to him. Neora jumped up and was planning on slamming herself onto him to make him fall into the ground under him. Just when she was about to smirk at the feeling of his bones crushing under her weight, her body suddenly stopped and was just floating around in the air. He flung her over to the side of the room, making Neora spin out of control and crash into the glass sliding door.

She moaned as she opened her eyes and saw that her skin turned into its normal soft color. She let out her breath as she felt suddenly tired after keeping her skin on for this long. Neora turned her head and looked over to the other mutant as he seemed to be laughing at her. His voice sounded so far away as she felt her eyelids become heavy as sleep seemed so much better than life now.

Neora felt herself being lifted off the ground and floated high above the building as the lights of the city seemed to confuse her of the stars. This was it. This was how she was going to die.

"Mommy's coming, Hunter" Neora whispered into the sky.

"Give your son a warm welcome for me when you see him in hell" the man said from under her.

"He's not in hell" a familiar yet robotic voice spoke up, "But you soon will be"

Neora felt herself drop down a few feet before someone caught her and she heard some sort of blasts once more as her eyelids closed, she heard Tony talk to her, "Hey. What're you doing? Don't clock out on me. Not yet. A day will come when you're going to be reunited with your son, but it's not going to be today. You gotta stay with me, Neo"

"I'm sorry, Tony. For all of this that has happened around you. I wished that we met on different circumstances. It would've been fun to go on an actual date with you. Instead of just me trying to trick you over and over. I'm sorry for everything"

"Don't worry" Tony laid her down onto the ground, "We'll start over tomorrow. But now, I got a pain in my ass that I got to take care of. I'll be right back"

Neora looked up and watched as sparks shot out and hit the mutant square in the chest. A red and gold robot walked over Neora's body as he continued to walk into the apartment, making Neora smile as she closed her eyes.


	16. I'm Gonna Get You Back

"Let's see if you can really take on the good guys" Tony remarked as he stood over the bleeding mutant.

Tony lifted up his arms in order for his blasts to come out of his hands. But right when they came out, the blast fired back and shot him in the chest. He grunted as the feeling, knocked him down onto the ground. He tried to move but it seemed like he had no control of his own as his body slammed into the wall with a crushing sound. Tony tried to move but the struggle was too much as he realized that the man was controlling him. He had to think up of something before he got crushed through the wall in a very painful way.

"No snide remark now, huh Mr. Stark?" the mutant replied.

"Nope... just thinking" Tony replied back.

Tony shot out little rockets from his arm, catching the man by surprise. He let go of the hold of Iron Man's body and tried to stop the rockets from coming after him. He did a good job in stopping six of them, but the rest shot right down into him, making him let out a painful yell. Iron Man shot out and tackled the man into the other room, not caring if he was just another human being. Nothing seemed to stop him from wanting to do some serious damage to this man in front of him.

Iron Man lifted up his fist to punch the man but he had already recovered and threw him to the other side of the room. He then noticed that the mutant enemy was healing himself from all the burns he just got from the rockets. Tony groaned as he trolled his eyes. Of course it wasn't going to be that easy for everyone.

* * *

><p>"Wake up, mommy" a small voice said as Neora felt herself being nudged, "You gotta help Iron Man. He needs your help"<p>

"Hunter?" Neora questioned in a weak voice.

Neora opened her eyes and noticed that she was in a white blank room in the daytime with long flowing white curtains and not on a balcony. In front of her, was her son smiling down to her with his hand still on her shoulder. Neora gasped as she got up and hugged her son in a bone-crushing embrace as he did the same thing with his super strength as well.

"You need to go back" Hunter informed her, "It's not your time to come here yet"

"I don't want to be away from you anymore" Neora shook her head, "I'm lost without my little boy. I've become a very dark person since you died"

"That time is nearly over now and a brighter future will begin for you" Hunter told her.

Neora bowed down her head and brought her forehead to her sons as she let out a sigh. She didn't want to think about having a 'brighter' future without her son by her side.

A sob escaped her lips as she brought her lips up to his forehead and kissed him as she placed her hand to the back of his head.

Suddenly, she felt something dropping her down, almost like as if she was on some sort of rollercoaster ready to make her fall. At first, Neora panicked as she thought something was happening to her body. But then she looked over to Hunter and noticed that he was still smiling at her. Neora was waking up from her near-death experience. Neora let out a small sigh and nodded her head as Hunter gripped onto her hand, almost breaking her knuckles. He then brought his lips to her cheek and kissed her, making everything seem brighter as new air suddenly filled in her lungs.

She felt her body on the cold cement ground but still noticed that she was in the white room with Hunter as everything seemed to darken as the sun began to set. The warmth of the sun turned cold as she felt her body shivering as Hunter let a tear fall down his cheek. Neora smiled as she placed her hand to the side of his face, taking everything in before she had to return back into reality. She knew that she had to go back and help Tony defeat the mutant, he wouldn't be able to do it just on his own. Neora took in a deep breath as she accepted the fact that she had to return back to the mad world that she so desperately wants to leave behind.

Neora looked down to Hunter's hand as he slowly became transparent and she was losing his sense of touch. She had to be strong for him, Neora couldn't possibly imagine what it was like to watch over your mother live her days full of darkness and see the things he's seen. She looked over to his hazel eyes and smiled as his face mirrored hers. Neora wished that she could visit this place with him more often but she knew that will not let her get the chance to move on with her life.

"I love you" she said to him before he disappeared completely from her sight.


	17. Weightless

The lights inside the Iron Man suit started to flicker out of control as Tony was slammed into yet another wall. The light blinded him as he tried to squint through the light. He grunted as he tried to sit up but even his body inside the armor was becoming weak. The man was giving up on ideas on how to eliminate this mutant if he can move things with his mind and heal on command. Tony groaned as he felt his body being lifted up off of the ground as the man came in through the room. As of now, Tony couldn't do anything that would help save his own life at the moment, his fuel as too low and he has to let the Iron Man charge up to use anything with the suit.

The man below him let out a chuckle as it looked like he barely earned a scratch in their little battle. His home looked like a total wreck but besides that, he seemed perfectly fine. The mutant squeezed down as he made the suit crunch down as it became agonizing for Tony to take it. He seemed to find some new-found glory in hurting anyone if it meant that he would be famous for it. He made Tony lean into him so that the Iron mask would be inches from his own face.

"Don't get me wrong" he gave a little side nod, "I really enjoyed this, but I would prefer to get back to bed now"

"Sorry to disappoint" Tony groaned as he spotted something over the mutants shoulder.

"There's nothing to be sorry for, Mr. Stark" the man scoffed.

"I think there is" Tony let out, "I'm sorry for you acting like a complete bitch this whole time. Only jealous for one thing and craving that fame. I do have to warn you that trying to kill two birds with one stone can throw back onto you, which you will regret soon enough"

The man was about to respond back when he let out a gasp and dropped Iron Man down onto the floor. He struggled to breath as he looked down to his body and noticed that a spear as driven through him. He turned around to see that Neora had regained consciousness and was standing where the spear was displayed on the side of the wall. The mutant tried to take it out with his power but the pain of having it in him made him stop as he couldn't bear to drive it out of himself.

"You want my tell on something?" Neora asked, "Don't leave sharp things lying around in your home when you're trying to get rid of an assassin like me"

"He doesn't seem to be enjoying himself now" Iron Man remarked as he got up onto his feet.

"I know" Neora sighed as she crossed her arms over her chest, "I wonder what she should do with him? Letting him go would be too easy"

Iron Man limped over to Neora and let his body weight slump over and crash down onto the little woman. He thought that the two of them would go crashing down to the ground but noticed that she kept her stance and placed an arm around him to steady the man. He let out a sigh as he felt relieved that this whole thing was over.

Neora watched that the man still tried to pull the spear out of him, both with his arms and with his mind but none of them seemed to work out for him. Blood started to form in his mouth as he started to sob and lose his footing.

She knew that his suffering had to end now.

Neora slowly lifted up one arm and closed her eyes as she felt the wind pick up and start to circulate around them. She could feel the objects moving around her as she concentrated on the one thing that she wanted to move around the room. She could hear the man letting out a stifled yell through the roar of the wind as she could only imagine how much pain she was putting him in. Her old ways used to just let the man suffer and succumb to his injuries and hopefully die a painful death. Her visit to see her son, however, made her change that as she wished to get this job done. Her mind drifted back over to Hunter as he smiled down at her and gave her a hug so tight that she could barely breathe.

Tony Stark watched as he felt himself being kept steady by the mutant who was causing the tornado in the room. He shielded himself nonetheless as he watched the other mutant in the room fly around in circles in agonizing pain. Tony looked down to Neora who had tears trailing down her face as sobs came out of her body. He realized that she couldn't do it, she couldn't kill the mutant who caused her so much pain. Neora didn't have the strength to finish her last job before doing who knows what tomorrow.

Neora felt her chest ache as she clutched down onto it, feeling a breakdown happen within her body. She was terrified of what was going to happen after this night. Maybe even more people will still try to come after her even after she retires as an assassin. Her life will never be safe because of the dark path she had craved out for herself.

Iron Man turned to the tornado and lifted his arms up as the little rockets started to fire out of his body once more. The rockets were sent flying around the room in a torpedo speed to the point that Tony felt like he just made the worst decision tonight. He didn't have time to worry about that now as he picked up Neora and quickly made his way over to the balcony to jump.

Neora felt the rush of the wind as she and Tony began to plummet down to the ground but then went into a screeching halt as they suddenly were being lifted up into the sky. She then looked around and noticed that they were outside and Tony was using his jets to keep them in the air.

"Don't worry" Tony said, "It's all over now. You did it for your son. Now you've earned yourself a clean slate. This past will not haunt you anymore. I will make sure of it"

Suddenly, they both heard an explosive that erupted from the top floor of the building they were in.

The flames were exploding out of the building and taking forever to disappear. Everything around it seemed to be moving in slow motion as burnt paper fluttered down the sides of the building. Everywhere else, things were turning back alive again; lights turning on, people peeking out their windows, and even the sound of a fire hydrant in the distance was approaching. Neora was in shock as she watched the flames become smaller and smaller as Iron Man slowly lifted them down onto the ground. An enormous amount of weight was lifted from her shoulders as she realized that she was done. No more killing people in the name of her son anymore.

"Is it really over?" Neora asked, "What do I do now? Nothing is clear to me anymore. I don't have a family anymore, my sons dead, and there could be more people after me. What can I do? There's nothing in this world left for me now"


	18. Clean Slate

Neora checked her watch as it read _1:40 _in the morning with the block being cut off and crowded with countless fire trucks, cop cars, and even ambulances everywhere on the street. Everyone was evacuated out of the building and seemed stunned that something like this was happening on the top floor. Of course the nosey News Crew came 15 minutes after everything started to get hectic and started to ask people what had gone on like as if they knew there was a mutant who wanted to kill Tony Stark in the beginning. Neora draped the purple blanket that was given to her by a friendly woman who had taken out her blankets before being evacuated. She glanced around and noticed that neighbors had stuck together and were talking and hugging among themselves as some cast weary looks up to the building. She wondered how united they would feel in about a year or so when all of this would sound like a dream to them.

Tony Stark stood in the midst of the crowd with his hands in his pockets as he told the story about what had happened and why he was in the neighborhood. Occasionally, he would glance over to Neora to see if she had left. Surprisingly, Neora did notice that she had many times to leave without going noticed but she never took those chances. Instead, the mutant stayed leaning on the car and watched as the man was talking through his interview, wondering what he was truly saying and what he decided the public shouldn't know just yet. Neora nervously bit her lip as Tony glanced back over to her and gave her a quick wink before he turned his attention to a woman who was asking him a question.

"Ma'am, we saw that you were with Mr. Stark throughout his weekend in D.C. and now we have footage of you entering the building before he came alone" a news reporter came up to Neora, shoving a microphone into her face, "What is your connection between you and Iron Man?"

Neora turned and glared at the woman through the bright lights of the camera behind her. The newsman stiffened up and then made the notion to stop rolling the camera. When the lights came off and the man walked away, the woman gave a nervous bow before hurrying along through the crowd. Neora scoffed, rolled her eyes, and shook her head as she turned and looked back at the scene going on around her.

Tony nodded to the crowd around him and then slowly walked over to Neora, making her straighten up. He gazed down into her eyes, making Neora slightly turn and look around as she realized how close he was to her. She almost felt like his Arc Reactor in his chest was warming herself up with its pure energy.

"You're so fired" Tony finally spoke up, "I changed my mind while we were fighting that asshole upstairs"

"Then I guess there's nothing to it" Neora let out a sigh, "I will disappear out of your sight"

Neora turned and was about to leave down the street when she felt something in her hand. She turned around and noticed that Tony had reached out and was pulling her back into him.

Her body stiffened up as her eyes wandered around to the bystanders looking on eagerly just as Tony pinched her chin and turned her head back to face his.

"I didn't mean it like that" Tony told her, "Yes, you're fired from your place as my assistant. I don't want you to leave and vanish out of thin air just yet. I want to go out on a date with you, one of them being completely horrible and you would think to never want to see me again but then I would prove you wrong the next date. I do want to know what it would be like to date someone as strong as you, Neo"

"You can't" Neora let out, "I'm dangerous and don't know how many people have intentions on killing me. You would be in danger and I don't want that hanging over my head. I'm sorry but it won't work out"

"Stop doubting the future and just let a man ask you out" The elderly woman that gave Neora the blanket yelled out from the sidelines.

Neora looked over to the woman and just scoffed and shook her head. She turned back over to Tony who then cupped her face and kissed her in front of everyone. Neora gasped and froze in place before she placed her hands onto his sides and kissed him back. Its been a long time since she's kissed anyone but she didn't think that she would've missed it this much. Tony moved his hand to the back of her head and gently nibbled onto her lower lip making her smile. They broke the kiss and looked at each other as Neora smiled up to Tony with an affection that she hadn't really done recently.

All around them people cheered as if they knew what Tony Stark and Neora Douglass have been through. Neora turned and noticed that the news cast hadn't left and filmed the thing. The mutant rolled her eyes and looked over to the billionaire who only just casually shrugged. She had to make it a point to destroy that footage sooner or later. But instead, Tony steered her over to the car, helped her in, and then drove back off over to his Malibu home out by the ocean.


	19. Heartbeat

Tony lifted up the mask as he studied the Iron Man arm that he had worked on for 20 minutes straight. He was glad to see that everything was aligned and could be up and running in the next three days. That was a rare thing after what happened in the penthouse building. Most of his parts had to be disposed of thanks to the telekinetic mutant they had to put to rest. A clash of banging made Tony jump and turn around to see Butterfingers had dropped all the armor and knocked over a tool table in the process. He sighed, rolled his eyes and shook his head as he never really knew what that machine was ever really good for.

"Sir, Neora Douglass is about a mile away" JARVIS said.

Tony squinted his eyes and looked over to a monitor screen and saw Neora's face clear as day, driving a convertible over to his house. Shortly after their scene on the street, Neora had requested some time away from Tony to think things through. She had been gone 11 days until now. Tony actually thought that she was going to take longer than that. Nonetheless, a smile formed on his face as he was happy to see the mutant pulling up in his driveway.

He cleared his throat and wiped some of the oil off of his hands as he started to quickly make his way over to the stairs. Tony suddenly stopped and turned to face a mirror near the entrance to see if he looked presentable. He cursed at himself as he smoothed down his hair and straightened out his shirt and tried not to zero in on the oil spots displayed on it. Tony sighed and shrugged as he decided to bound up the stairs, he told her to call before she came over.

"Why didn't you tell me when she was 10 miles away?" Tony cursed at JARVIS.

Tony opened the door with the coolest smile displayed on his face before it suddenly went slack. He saw her car right next to his, but no Neora. He looked around but couldn't seem to find her and wondered if she had gone around to the back.

"Behind you" a low sultry voice said.

Tony turned around to see Neora sitting down on his white couch with a scotch in hand and a smirk on her lips. He couldn't help but scoff at her as he closed the door and made his way over to her.

"Now that's not fair" Tony told her, "JARVIS knew you were planning this?"

Neora handed him his scotch, which he took it delightfully and took a sip.

"We had it planned out for a long time" Neora winked, "I hope you can forgive me"

Tony wrapped his arm around her waist and brought her closer to him before he let down his head just a little to lightly kiss her lips. When he opened his eyes once again, he noticed that she was smiling at him, encouraging the young man to kiss her again. He knew that this was going to be a tremendous change for the mutant but it was for the better. He had to believe that she was going to keep her promise to her son and try to rearrange a new life that didn't exactly involve killing people to make money. Somehow, with Neora coming back over to his house made him feel more confident in her plans for the future. The couple broke the kiss and Tony took a step back from her to stop himself from going further than he first anticipated.

Neora was going to take another step toward him to continue their make out session when the door suddenly burst open. The couple jumped and turned around only to see that it was Happy in a sweaty track suit coming into the room. He gave them a breathless smile before double taking and noticing that Neora was in the room. The bodyguard then ran over to the mutant, hugged her, and lifted her off of the ground. Neora was surprised at this gesture as she didn't think that he would ever hug her, but then decided to return the favor in lifting him off of the ground as well.

Tony couldn't help but roll his eyes at the little 'Happy' reunion going on in front of him as the man asked her a million different questions at the same time. He slightly figured that his mentally planned alone dinner would have to include Happy as a third wheel. Although, now that he thought about it, making Happy the night's butler wouldn't be such a bad idea. A smile creeped over his face as he knew his friend couldn't possibly say no to that.

"Why don't we start catching up on this all over some dinner?" Tony suggested with a glint in his eye.

Happy quickly agreed and then said that he will put on a good suit for this occasion before leaving the room. Once he left, Tony just laughed to himself and shook his head as he made his way over to the kitchen. Neora eyed the man as she wondered what he had in store for this night.


	20. Date Night

"Crap!" Neora yelled out, "Why did I keep the salmon on for that long? He's coming over in the next hour! How am I supposed to be impressing him when I couldn't even cook this properly! What in the hell do I do?"

"Don't worry... I already called the nearest Gourmet restaurant and they've agreed to give you some of the dishes I picked out" Pepper Potts said with a wink.

Neora placed the saucepan under the water and let it steam over as she looked at the woman and shook her head. About a month after she had found her apartment, Neora met the infamous Pepper Potts at a local supermarket and the two became fast friends. Although, Neora hasn't quite broken it to Tony that she is friends with his former apprentice, the two loved to see how things would unravel once he found out. Neora didn't have a friend quite like Pepper who was always willing to help, even when it wasn't her place to. Having someone like Pepper has opened up her mind to a ton of possibilities in the ideas of friendships. The mutant let out a sigh as she turned off the faucet and wiped her hands on a blue dish towel.

"What would I ever do without you" Neora mused, "I'm never going to try new dishes for date night ever again"

"If it makes you feel any better, that dish looked disgusting in the magazine too" Pepper wrinkled up her nose.

"Thanks for telling me after I nearly burned my apartment down" Neora replied half-heartedly.

Pepper gave a slight shrug as she poured yet another glass of wine before she handed one over to Neora. The woman sighed and took the wine glass as the red-headed woman raised her glass up as a sign of a toast. They both clanked their glasses and sipped their wine as they both looked around at the complete destruction of the dinner. It almost looked like Neora had cleared out everything from her pantry just to throw it all over the counter. Not to mention, the smell of burned salmon seemed forever stuck to their clothing.

A strong breeze filled the room as Neora nonchalantly walked around her kitchen and started to put stuff away. She tried her best not to look over to Pepper and notice that the poor woman was freezing up due to the wind. Neora may think of Pepper as a great friend but she didn't really know how the former assistant really thought about mutants just yet. It wasn't really a subject that would come up on a day-to-day basis.

The doorbell rang, making Neora sigh happily before she quickly went over to the door to find a fancy delivery boy there with a bag of at least five boxes in them. Neora glanced over to her friend who quickly placed the wine to her lips and turned her back to them. Neora thanked the man and then tipped him before the teenager waved off a goodbye.

"You're welcome" Pepper responded before Neora could even open her mouth.

"Why don't you stay for dinner?" Neora asked, "Tony and Happy miss you, you know? Think about the looks on their faces when they see you in my apartment of all places"

Pepper let out a sigh as she shifted her feet from one stance to the other. Neora has asked this nearly a hundred times and the mutant already knew what the answer was going to be to this question already.

"I would love to but I'm not ready yet" Pepper responded, "I just need to stretch my wings out a bit further"

"If you wish" Neora nodded, "No pressure"

"I think it's time for me to take my leave" Pepper picked up her purse, "You still need to get ready for your date"

"Thanks" Neora hugged her friend, "Let's go for a little jog on Monday, alright?"

An hour later, the doorbell rang just as Neora had checked on the food to make sure it was still hot, "Coming! You're early, you know that. I'm impressed"

"Then you should be thrilled about this one" Tony waved out a pink rose in front of Neora's face right when she opened it.

Neora smiled, "Thank you. I guess wishes do come true"

"So you actually cooked our dinner without setting anything on fire" Tony noted, "Now I'm impressed"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence" Neora rolled her eyes, "A real gentleman of you"

"No, no, it's not that!" Tony turned around and faced her, "It's just from what I've seen. You and Butterfingers are nearly on the same level of clumsiness"

Neora only chuckled and shook her head before Tony leaned down to her lips and kissed her slowly.

"You're asking for it" Neora mumbled to him, "I still know how to make poison from spices, you know"

"Really?" Tony took a step back, "I didn't know that"

"Exactly" Neora winked.

"So what are we eating today?" Tony asked, "I didn't even know that you knew how to make a gourmet meal. And I'm not just saying that just to say that. It's just that you've never really mentioned this sort of thing before. You said that you wanted to try something new tonight"

"I wanted to surprise you" Neora lied.

"Well, you did, Neo" Tony slapped his hands together, "So what are we eating? This looks delicious"

"Why don't you take a guess" Neora said in a light voice, "I was the one who made it"

Tony looked up through his lashes as he realized something wasn't right about this, "How did you make this?"

Neora was about to say a bullshit excuse in order how she got the dinner ready but then she stopped. Tony walked over to the trashcan and opened the lid before he turned around and looked over to her. Neora could feel a slight blush come over her skin as he bent down and picked up the box that the food came in from. Tony shook his head in a stern way as he knew any kind of parent would do. But after doing that, he couldn't help but let out a chuckle at how adorable Neora had tried to prepare for tonight's dinner. Which made since after first stepping into her apartment, he could've sworn he smelled burnt salmon under the smell of beef.

"So what?!" Neora yelled out, "I burned our dinner and got us something fancy. You try thinking about doing that sometime. Now you know so let's eat"

Tony let out a laugh as he placed the box back into the trash, "And this is why I love you"

Neora stopped as she had a flashback on the docks nearly four months ago, her last client told her to make Tony fall in love with her before she killed him. If that man were still alive and hadn't gone impatient, maybe it would've happened. She turned back around and watched as Tony was washing his hands and talking about his day. A smile creeped over her face as she went to pour the couple a glass of wine. Even if the mutant were still alive, she would've never gone to the end of that deal, she loved the billionaire Tony Stark too much to cause him any harm.

Tony turned around as he wiped his hands on a dish towel and noticed that Neora was handing him a wine glass. He smiled down at her as he took the glass and walked over to the table with her to where their dinner was. Neora clanked their glasses together before leaning up to kiss him before she went over to her end of the table. Tony couldn't help but notice that he never really felt truly happy until this moment right here with the Mastermind ex-assassin mutant as his steady girlfriend.


	21. Soundtrack

_**Power and Control- Marina and the Diamonds**_

_**Smile- Lily Allen**_

_**Blow- Ke$ha**_

_**Dance, Dance, Dance- Lykke Li**_

_**Fire Meet Gasoline- Sia**_

_**I'm Gonna Get You Back- Florrie**_

_**Heartbeat- Annie**_

_**Die Young- Ke$ha**_

_**White Nights- Oh Land**_

_**Alejandro- Lady Gaga**_

_**Bubblegum Bitch- Marina and the Diamonds**_

_**Super Bass- Nicki Minaj**_

_**Running If You Call My Name- HIAM**_


End file.
